Georgia became perhaps the biggest story of Euro 2024 so far this evening, with their remarkable 2-0 victory Portugal securing their spot in the knockout rounds.
With Portugal having nothing to play for in this fixture having already sewn up top spot in the group, they opted to field a much changed side against the Georgians. Still, very few gave Willy Sagnol's side a chance of pulling off a shock result.
However, they were full value for their victory.
They would take the lead inside the opening two minutes of the game, with talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opening the scoring with a fine finish.
🇬🇪 1-0 🇵🇹
A stunning start to the game as Kvaratskhelia gives Georgia the lead with less than two minutes on the clock. They need to win and this is a dream start.
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While it may have been expected that Portugal would grab a hold of the game after that point, they could never quite do so. They would create some good chances, but Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili managed to keep them at bay with some excellent saves.
They would double their lead just before the hour mark after Georges Mikautadze scored a penalty.
In the end, that was enough to secure a famous victory.
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Roy Keane explains Georgia improvement since his Ireland spell
Georgia are no doubt the story of Euro 2024 so far, reaching the knockout stages in their first appearance at a major tournament. They will now face Spain in the last 16.
Of course, they are a nation that Ireland know well.
They have been paired together in qualifying groups on numerous occasions down through the years, usually providing a stern test for various Irish sides. In saying that, there was always a sense that they are a team that Ireland should be beating.
That dynamic has slowly shifted in recent times, with the two teams trending in opposite directions over the last few years.
Roy Keane is someone who came up against Georgia on a few occasions in his role as Ireland assistant manager, and speaking on ITV, he explained why they have come on so much since he previously came up against them. He believes it is their additions in attack that have made all the difference.
It was everything you'd want from a team performance, the fight, the desire, the energy, and the quality. The quality was there.
You talk about wanting to play on the counterattack, you've got to have runners and players willing to run ahead of the ball. It was fantastic, well deserved.
A great night for them...
These countries have made great progress over the last few years, but this is obviously a huge highlight for them. They've been close, they have that extra bit of quality.
We came up against them with Ireland. You thought 'they're not bad, they're neat and tidy, they have improved'. But the quality of their attacking players has improved the last few years.
They're really enjoyable to watch, they play some good stuff.
Georgia will be massive underdogs in their next game against Spain, although they have shown so far at Euro 2024 that they have no problem exceeding expectations in such fixtures.
Even if they do go home after that game, their achievements over the last few games have been absolutely sensational.
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